Drivers leaving the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Cranberry harbored mixed emotions during a recent poll conducted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Planning Comission has proposed that motorists who enter or exit the Cranberry interchange (No. 3) fork over a 25-cent surcharge as well as the regular fare. This additional fee would aid in paying for an $82.3 million package of road improvements that would include a direct connection from the turnpike to Interstate 79. Currently, the two are connected by an often-congested business corridor. The prospect of this link mustered up both grimaces and grins.
Nay
Many automatically hated the idea of having to pay an extra 25 cents, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, some even going so far as to call it "a real burden" or "robbery without the gun". Through the current research of the Pennsylvania Turnpike comission, the surcharge would be the first on the 506-mile turnpike system.
Yea
On the flip side, others praised the idea of having a direct turnpike-interstate link. With it, drivers could shave time off what for some is usually a long commute; for these motorists, the two-bit splurge could be worth it. However, the improvements outlined in the Regional Planning Comission proposal would take nearly 10 years to implement.Visit the OnTV Bulletin Archive.
